Mass organisations meet today on garbage issue

Visakhapatnam: Mass organisations, including some political parties, called for a 'Chalo Atchiyyapeta' on Sunday morning where several national-level leaders would address a meeting on the shifting of garbage dump to Atchiyapeta from Anakapalli. The issue had rocked the district tarnishing the image of Minister for Infrastructure and Ports Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who was elected from Anakapalli in 2009. It was at the behest of the minister that garbage dump was shifted from Sarada riverbed to Atchiyyapeta and police force was used to dump the garbage at the new site. People from Atchiyyapeta and surrounding villages resisted the move and 22 of them were arrested during the agitation on March 22. The police also entered the villages and dragged the women and men from the houses and bundled them into the vans. They were released on bail after five days. In a memorandum to the Collector on Saturday, the residents of the village sought action against Deputy Superintendent of Police VSR Murthy in whose presence private persons threatened them to sign the acceptance of dumping for getting bail for the arrested persons. They also told him that there was no Grama Sabha or Panchayat approval for dumping the garbage in the new site to which the Tahsildar had admitted. Even there was no environment clearance, which was mandatory as per a decree of the High Court, the villagers said. The land under dispute was a 'D-Patta' land in 22 acres, which was being cultivated by poor farmers for the last 30 years. Former bureaucrat EAS Sarma, Human Rights Forum State general secretary VS Krishna and CPI, CPM leaders would address the meeting.